Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #350787 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-07
• Released on: 1999-09-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Customer Reviews

Outstanding - but not for everyone
I read this book in one sitting and promptly passed it around my circle of friends. Here's my insights on who will like it:

The fact that it is a romance means it will appeal (quite strongly) to women, and not very much to men. All my female friends adored it; none of my male friends managed to finish it.

It is not an African current affairs book and should not be read for any socio-political message - except what you might interpret from the attitudes of the characters. Mainly, it is a personal story, nothing else.

This book appeals to those who have lived as an expat and to those who dream of adventure in far off lands. Written by an Italian, it is an example of the modern European mentality toward living abroad - which is very different from the American psyche. The foreignness of the author's mentality causes it to lose some appeal to the American audience. My European friends who have lived in Africa all identified completely with this book. The fact that it is currently a top ten bestseller in South Africa also points to its readership.

If you liked this novel, there's a newer book called The Africa House by Christina Lamb (available through Amazon UK) that appeals to a similar audience.

True to Life
As an expatriate American who was born and raised in Kenya and attended the British boarding schools in Kenya, I can honestly say that I saw the people I grew up in this book. I first read it in 1998, when it came out; I was in the States for the first time and homesick for Kenya. When I read this book, it was as though I was home again. Esme's descriptions of Kenya evoke memories of home; once you fall in love with Africa, nothing else will ever seem quite good enough.

A great read
I just read some of the other reviews written about this novel and I am saddened to see people take things so personally. Francesca Marciano penned a superb novel about expats in Kenya. Anyone who paid attention to the jacket of the book would have known that. For people to have bought this book and expected anything else, is sad. Yes the characters are narcissistic and yes they are shallow, but that was entirely the point. As an African, I have had many run ins with such people and anyone who has (and some who haven't), know that Ms. Marciano's version of expatriates in Africa, is incredibly accurate. Her handle of the English language is fabulous and her characters are interesting and intentionally lacking in substance. She vividly portrays the landscape and left me with a longing that I haven't felt in quite some time. I was transported to Kenya and felt the beauty of the land in the same way that the characters did. I reccommend this novel to anyone who knows how not to take life to seriously and how to see the flaws in others for what they are.